Nawa

Unique, Handcrafted Jewelry With A Nod To The T'boli Peoples
Made in Lake Sebu

While working on a film in Lake Sebu back in 2016, co-founder Jopie Sanchez met a community of T’boli brass casters and fell in love with their jewelry and rich cultural traditions. She purchased a set of brass jewelry for herself and bought a few extra for her friends back home. When the jewelry began to grow in popularity and co-founders Jopie Sanchez and Timmy Potenciano learned more about the struggles of the T’boli peoples, the idea for Nawa was born.

Nawa is a social purpose, Filipino jewelry brand that collaborates with brass casters and weavers from the T’boli tribe of Lake Sebu in South Cotabato, Mindanao. Every piece is handcrafted in small batches to showcase the highest quality T’boli craftsmanship available, with the aim of creating dignified employment and sharing the stories of the T’boli peoples.

Every purchase also helps fund the Lake Sebu School of Living Traditions, a non-profit aiming to preserve and promote the cultural traditions of the T’boli tribe.

"In T’Boli culture, Nawa is a word that can mean several things. To speak of one’s “Nawa” is to speak of their character, and emotions. Nawa can also mean “breath,” and it seemed fitting to pay tribute to the T’Boli culture by breathing new life into their craft"